I am standing at a crossroads with no signs pointing the way; My shadow stretches in front of me from the dawning of a new day; No matter which road I choose to take, there will be no turning back; Whether or not you’re on the path I choose requires knowledge that I lack. One […]

Written by Jacob Ibrag Black star, who do you think you are? Crickets sleeping in the depths of your crater. We won’t see you coming. Hidden. Crashing into the receptors of our central nervous system. I’d ask for your name and yet this part seems familiar. A cobra chasing it’s own tale. Tail? Tale. Delivered […]

Latest book: The Golden Tradition: An Anthology of Urdu Poetry, edited and translated by Ahmed Ali. I think I can reuse the illo of Babur and Humayun here, since Babur was probably reciting some verse. In Persian, not Urdu, I know. Ali is a great guide– knowledgeable, enthusiastic, tolerant, a font of details. What he […]

Steal the key that fits the lock of everybody’s heart. Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful. The shortest distance between two people is a smile. One smile can’t change the world, but your smile changes mine. What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.